Coin-controlled towel cabinet



July 1, 1930. w. w. TRINKS COIN CONTROLLED TOWEL CABINET Filed Oct. 16-, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet l July 1, 1930. w. w. TRINKS COIN CONTROLLED TOWEL CABINET I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 16, 1926 avwento'c 551g 11w Que M401 y 1930 w. w. TRINKS 7 1,769,724

COIN CONTROLLED TOWEL CABINET l Filed Oct. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 VIIIIII/l gum/W601 July 1, 1930. w. w. TRiNKS I I COIN CONTROLLED TOWEL CABINET Filed Oct. 16, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented July 1, 1 930 cairn STATES PATENTTOF WILLIAM W. TRINKS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'IO PULLCLEAN MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE COIN-CONTROLLED TOVEL CABINET Application filed October 16, 1926. Serial No. 141,914.

The invention relates to towel cabinets and has particular reference to that classof tow el cabinets having provision for feedmgpredetermined lengths of towel from the cabinet through the instrumentality of a coin controlledmechanism.

The invention has for its primary ob ect the provision of means for automatically withdrawing into the cabinet the fed out length of towel immediately upon the release of same by the user, whereby there will be no exposed towel at the exterior of the cabinet except during the time of actual use of the same by a user. Thisobject is attained by means constituting my invention as here'- inafter described and claimed and as illus trated in the accompanying drawings.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be referred to during the detailed description of the invent-ion which follows.

Referring now to the accompany drawings-- Fig. l is a front View of a cabinet embodying the invention, with the face wall of tne outer casing removed for the clearer illustration of the contained mechanism.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the cabinet, looking from the right of Fig. 1, also with the wall of the outer casing as well as the exterior operating handle removed.

3 is an enlarged detail of a part of the towel feeding mechanism showing the position of the parts at a different time in the operation of the same from that of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a View of the same parts looking from the right in Fig. 3.

F 5 is an enlarged sectional detail of a iart of the towel feeding mechanism, includng the coin engaging parts and operating aiidle, the section beingtalren on the line 5 of Fig. 7. Fig. 6 is also a detail, partly in section, of the coin engaging parts, showing a coin in position.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail, in elevation and section, of a part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2, but showing the position of the parts at a different time in the operation of the machine.

' Fig. 8 is a detail of a pawl and ratchet mechanism to be hereinafter referred to.

The cabinet in the form here shown comprises an outer casing l, which may be of any suitable construction and design. VVithin this casing is contained a frame upon which the several parts constituting the towel feeding and re-winding mechanism are mounted. This frame, which may also be of any construction suitable for the purpose, is here shownas comprising two side plates or castings 2, 2, connected by a plurality of tie-rods 3.

The towel t, in roll form, is adapted to be placed within the cabinet on a support 4, which is here shown as a strip of sheet metal attached at its opposite ends to a pair of supporting cross rods 5-5 mounted in the frame plates 2-2. After the towel has been thus positioned in the cabinet, its free end is led over a feed roller 6 adjacent the top of the cabinet, from thence forwardly about an idle roller 7 and then backwardly over a second idle rollerS, these two rollers being positioned adjacent an opening or slot 9 in the outer casing through which the towel is fed in loop form for use, as will hereinafter be described. From the roller 8 the towel passes downwardly and about a free or loose roller 10, then upwardly to another idle or guide roller 11 positioned just rearwardly of the roller 8, and from thence downwardly to a re-winding roller 12, upon which the soiled end of the towel isyadapted to be automatically wound in about the same ratio as it is fed or drawn off the clean roll.

The feed roller 6 is adapted to be operated to impart feeding movement to the engaged towel by a feedingmechanism comprising .two sections which are normally disconnected to render the mechanism in operative for'feeding, but which are adapted to be. operatively connected to operate as a single unit bywn eans of a coin inserted into the machine. This feeding mechanism comprises a disc 15 which is keyed to a shaft 16 suitably journalled in the frame of the machine and provided in its peripheral with a coin-receiving pocket or recess 17 the coin being adapted to be delivered into said pocket through a chute 18 which is attached to the frame of the machine, by means of fastening screws 19 and spacing sleeves 20, in position with its mouth or receiving end 21 projecting through the front wall of the machine (see Fig. 2) and with its rear or delivery end terminating opposite the periphery of the disc 15 for depositing a coin into the pocket of the latter. Also keyed to the shaft 16 by the same key 22, which connects the disc 15 thereto, 18 a gear segment 25 which meshes with a inion 26 loosely mounted on one end of t e shaft 27 which carries the feed roller 6. This pinion has connected to one end thereof a ratchet 28 which is engaged a by a pawl 29 mounted on a disc 30 which is fixed to the feed roller shaft 27, said disc 30 being shown as provided with ratchet teeth for a purpose to be hereinafter referred to. With these parts it will be understood that a forward rotation of the segment 25, that is, in a direction towards the right as viewed in Fig. 2, will rotate the engaged inion 26 and its connected ratchet 28 in t e opposite direction, and this in turn acting through the pawl 29 engaged by said ratchet, will turn the disc 30 and connected feed roller 6 in a like direction to fwd the towel forward.

The means for operating the segment 25 to effect a towel feedin movement as above set forth will now e described. This means as here shown com rises a lever handle mounted to turn loosely on the endof the shaft 16 at a point outside of the casing 1, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, and provided with a hub extension or sleeve 36 to which is keyed, at a point inside of the casing, an arm or segment 37 having a lateral extension 38 projecting into an annular groove 39 in the coin disc 15 which intersects the coin-receiving pocket 17 therein, as best shown in Figs. 2-, 6 and 7. Without a coin in the pocket 17 of the disc 15, the extension 38 of the arm 37 may be moved back and forth in the groove 39 by the handle 35 without causing movement to the disc 15 and associated se ment 25 of the towel feeding mechanism, int upon the insertion of a coin, as 0, into the pocket 17 of said disc 15, a forward rotation of said arm on the frame with which the segment en gages as shown in Fig. 7. \Vhen the parts have been brought to such position, the operating handle 35 is released and the se ment and its engaged parts automatical y returned to their normal or starting position under the action of a coiled spring 41 which connects at one end with a stationary part and at its opposite end with the segment, as shown in Flg. 5. The said normal or starting position of the parts is determined by a second stop pin 44 on the frame against which the segment is normally held by said spring 41. In such normal position of the parts, the coin disc 15 is held with its pocket 17 in coin-receivin position beneath the delivery end of the c ute 18.

U on the release of the handle 35 after it has een moved to the limit of its forward throw, the coin is released by the arm 37 and drops from its pocket in the disc 15 into the open mouth of the receiving chute 45 of a bank receptacle 46. The operating throw of the coin engaging arm 37 and its operatinghandle 35 is preferably limited to prevent overthrow by means of stop pins 47 and 48 on the casing with which the handle engages, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 7, the throw of these parts being such as to carry the coin engaging edge of the arm 37 from a starting osition back of the coin delivery end of t e chute 18, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 7, to a point adjacent the mouth of the bank 46, as shown by full lines in the same figure. Upon the release of the handle 35 after the coin has been brou ht to the mouth of the bank 46, said hand e and connected arm 37 are aut0matically returned to their normal starting position under the action of a coiled spring 50 which connects at one end with a stationary part 51 secured in the casing 1 and at its opposite end with the arm 37, as shown in Fig. 5.

During the return movement of the coin disc 15 and connected gear segment 25 under the action of the spring 41 following the discharge of the coin into the bank 46, the reverse movement imparted to the pinion 26 and its connected ratchet 28 by the gear segment 25 is inoperative to impart movement to the feed roll 6, as the move ment of the ratchet is in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 8 and is an idle one with respect to the pawl 29 and connecting feed roll. Such reverse movement of the pinion however is utilized to operate the towel re-winding roller 12 in the following manner: The pinion 26 is provided at that end thereof opposite the ratchet 28 with a second rigidly attached ratchet 55 which is engaged by a pawl 56 attached to a sprocket wheel 57 loosely mounted on the end of the shaft 27, this sprocket wheel being connected by a chain 58 with a second sprocket wheel 59 secured to one end of a pressure roller 60 which cooperates with the re-winding roller 12 to re-wind the soiled towel thereon. This roller 60, as :here shown, has its opposite end journals slidably supported in arcuate slots 61 in the frame plates 2, 2, whereby it may move bodily with respect to the roller 12 to accommodate itself to the increasing diameter of the latter as the towelzis wound thereon, and it is yieldingly held in cooperative relation with the roller 12 to effect winding of the towel thereon by means of springs .62 which connect at one end with the feed roll through hangers 63 and at their opposite or lower ends with fixed pins 64, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Means are also provided for cooperating with the feeding roller 6, which is prefera bly provided with a sanded surface, for in- .suring the feed of the towel thereby; these means in the present case comprising a pair of friction rolls 66, 66, supported for engagement with the upper part of the feed roller in journal plates 57 pivotally connected to the free ends of a pairof bracket arms 68, which latter are pivoted to the frame at 69 and engaged by connecting springs 7 in a manner to yieldingly hold the supported rolls 66 in cooperative relation to the feed roller 6.

In the operation of the machine as thus far described, the user desiring a length of towel will insert a coin of the proper denomination into the mouth of the chute 18,

which thereupon will roll through the latter and drop into the pocket 17 of the coin disc 15. The user will then grasp the handle35 and by it rotate forwardly the connected arm 37, which latter, coming into contact with the coin, will advance the disc and connected segment gear 25, thereby acting through the pinion 26, ratchet 28, pawl 29, and disc on the end of the feed roller to rotate the latter and effect the feeding of the clean towel. WVhen thus fed, the towel will advance from the guide roll 7 through the opening 9 in the front of the casing 1 and drop in loop form at the front side of the latter, as shown in Fig. 2. The feeding action of the parts is limited by the contactof the coin segment with the stop 40, as shown in Fig. 7, at which time the handle will be released and the coin deposited into bank 46. Thereupon the user isfree to use the towel and the parts will be'automatically returned to their starting position under the action of the springs 41 and as described; the return movement of the segz'g ment gear 25 operating to effect a re-winding of the soiled towel about the roller 12 in substantially the same ratio to the amount of clean towel fed out at the forward throw of the se ment gear. During this re-winding of the soiled towel, which takes place while the loop of clean towel is grasped by the user, the loose roller'll) willbe drawn up by the loop a of engaging towel within the casing from its low position resting on the bottom of the latter as shown in Fig. 2, to a raised position adjacent the rollers 8 and 11 as shown in Fig. 3. After the user has finished with the loop of towel at the front of the casing and released the same, such loop will then be automatically withdrawn into the casing by the loose roller 10 which will drop down again to the bottom of the casing carrying the engaged towel with it. In this way, the towel will be kept wholly within the casing when not being used and can only be made available by the insertion of a coin into the machine as described.

As will be understood from the foregoing description, a predetermined length of towel is fed from the cabinet as provided by the action of the coin-controlled mechanism following the insertion of a coin into the cabinet. To prevent any excess length of towel being drawn from the roll by the user after a section or loop thereof has been fed to the front of the cabinet where it may be grasped by the user, means are provided as follows: Rigidly attached to the feed roller shaft 27 adjacent its opposite ends are ratchet discs 30, one of which has been hereinbefore referred to. For engagement with these discs are a pair of pawls 7 5, 7 5 pivoted at 76 to the opposite frame plates 2 and'provided with heel extensions 77 engaged by springs 78 which act to normally hold the pawls in a position of disengagement from the ratchet discs. Loosely supported in vertically arranged slots 81 in the frame plates 2 in a position beneath the heel extensions of these pawls, is a rod 79 beneath which the towel passes at a point between its feed roller 6 and guide roller 7, the towel being depressed by said rod below its normal path of movement between said rollers. In the normal operation of the machine, the towel readily feeds over a support ortable 80 beneath this rod 79 and without action thereon. In the event, however, of a user attempting to pull any extra length of towel from the clean roll, such pulling acts to raise the rod, as shown in Fig. 3, and thereby causes it to rock the engaging pawls 'into engagement with the ratchet discs 30 and so look the feed roller 6 against towel feeding movement; thus effectually preventing the withdrawal of any additional length of towel. Immediately upon the release of the towel by the user, the springs 78 will automatically disengage the pawls from the discs 30 and so restore the machine to its normal working condition.

When the clean towel has been used up, or substantially so, such fact is automatically indicated and the coin-chute closed against the admission of further coins, by

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the following means: A lever 83 is mounted on a stationary pivot 84 with one end extending adjacent to the front wall of the and carrying a plate 85 for projecmugh a transverse cut-out 86 in the coin-chute 18 to close the latter, and with its op to or rear end formed with a short y extending arm 87 for engagement with a disc 88 mounted on a shaft 89 adjacent the rear of the casing (Fig. 2). A pull lpl'infiliio connecting with this lever 83 holds it wit its arm 87 in yielding engagement with the peripheral edge of the disc 88, in which position of the lever the plate 85 at its front end is depressed below the coinchute so as to leave the latter open for the admission of coins therethrough. The lever is held in such position by the engaging disc 88 during a slow rotation of the latter as effected by the towel feeding means, in a manner to be presently described, and until anotch 91 in said disc has been brought to a position of registry with the lever arm 87---which is timed to occur when the towel has been used-upat which time said arm snaps into the notch under the action of the spring 90 and thereb effects the raising of the opposite end 0 the lever to projest the attac ed plate 85 through the cutout in the coin-chute and close off the lattar as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 7. The disc 88 may be rotated to control the operation of the lever 83 in the manner described, by any suitable means. As here shown, the shaft 89 carrying the notched disc 88 also has mounted thereon a gear 92. Mes with this gear 92 is a pinion 93 moun on a shaft 94 in fixed connection with. a ratchet disc 95. For cooperating with this ratchet disc is a pawl 96 pivoted on .a lever 97, which latter in turn is pivoted at one end on the shaft 94 with its front end loosely supported in position for engagement by an arm 98 of the oscillatory coindisc 15, as shown in Figs. 2 and '7. Upon the return movement of the coin-disc under the action of the spring 41, following the forward throw of the parts by the operating handle 35, the end of said disc arm 98 strikes the end of the pawl-carrying lever 97 and operates the same to cause a partial rotation of the disc 88 through the pawl and ratchet 96-95 and gearing 93-92. The stepb -step rotation of the disc 88 follo wi eac towel feeding operation gradually a vances the notch 91 in the disc until it registers with the lever arm 87 to receive the latter and permit of the raising of the front end of the lever and the consequent closing of the coin-chute by the plate 85 in the manner described.

when the cabinet is opened to reload the same with a clean towel, the operator at the same time will reset the parts to open the coin-chute by raising the lever arm 87 from the notch 91 in the disc 88 and slightly advance the disc to shift the notch from beneath the arm whereby the latter will rest on the peripheral edge of the disc with the plate 85 held in lowered position beneath the coin-chute. As will be understood, the feeding movement of the disc 88 is so timed that one complete rotation of the same to again bring its notch into registry with the lever arm, will substantially coincide with the complete feeding out of the towel.

In order that the emptying of the cabinet may be indicated simultaneously with the closing of the coinchute by the plate 85, I

have made the latter of such size that its upper end will project above the coin-chute when raised to closing position and provide the same at such point with the word Empt which may be readily observed throug an opening in the casing provided for such purpose. When the plate 85 is depressed upon the reloading of the cabinet, such indication will of course be lowered from sight.

What I claim is:

1. In a towel cabinet, the combination with a casing having an opening therein, of means for feeding a length of towel from the cabnet through said opening, a towel pulling means within the cabinet, means operatively connecting said feeding and pulling means for effecting their operation in sequence, and a weight engaging'the towel intermediate the feeding and pulling means and operable to be raised by the towel upon the pulling of the latter by said pulling means and to thereafter drop upon the release of the towel by the user and withdraw the fed out length into the cabinet.

2. In a towel cabinet, the combination with a casing having an opening therein, of means for feeding a length of towel from the cabinet through said opening, a towel re-winding means within the cabinet, means operatively connectin said feeding and rewinding means for e ecting their operation in sequence, and a weight engaging the towel intermediate the feeding and rewinding means and operable to be raised by the towel upon the pulling of the latter by said re-winding means and to thereafter drop upon the release of the towel by the user and withdraw the fed out length into the cabinet.

3. In a towel cabinet, the combination with a casing having an opening therein, of means for feeding a length of towel from the cabinet through said opening, means within the cabinet for re-winding the towel fed therefrom, means operatively connectin said feedin and re-winding means for e footing their operation in sequence, and a weight engaging the towel intermediate the fee ing and re-Winding means and operable to be raised by the towel upon the pulling of the latter by the user and to thereafter drop upon the release of the towel by the user and withdraw the fed out length into the cabinet.

4. In a towel cabinet, the combination with a casing having an opening therein, of means for feeding a length of towel from the cabinet through said. opening, means within the cabinet for re-winding the towel fed therefrom, means operatively connecting said feeding and rewinding means for effecting their operation in sequence, and a wei ht loosely engaging the towel intermediate the feeding and rewinding means and operable to have an initial raising movement upon the pulling of the towel by the 're-winoing means and an additional raising movement upon the pulling of the towel by the user and to thereafter drop upon the release of the towel by the user and withdraw the fed out length into the cabinet.

5. In a towel cabinet, the combination with a casing having an opening therein, of

. means for feeding a length of towel from the cabinet through said opening, means within the cabinet for re-winding the towel fed therefrom, means operatively connecting said feeding and rewinding means for effecting their operation in sequence, a weight loosely engaging the towel intermediate the feeding and rewinding means and operable to have an initial raising movement upon the pulling of the towel by the re-winding means and an additional raising movement upon the pulling of the towel by the user and to thereafter drop upon the release of the towel by the user and withdraw the fed out length into the cabinet, and means limiting the upward movement of the weight by the said pulling action of the towel.

6. In a towel cabinet, the combination with a casing having an opening therein, of means for feeding a length of towel from the cabinet through said opening, means within the cabinet for re-winding the towel fed therefrom, means operatively connecting said feeding and rewinding means for effecting their operation in sequence, a weight loosely engaging the towel intermediate the feeding and re-winding means, and actuating means operative in one direction of movement to actuate the feeding means and in the opposite direction of movement to actuate the rewinding means, the action of the re-winding means being effective to raise the weight whereby it will pull the fed out towel into the casing upon release of u same by the user.

7. In a towel cabinet, the combination with a casing having an opening therein, of means for feeding a length of toweling from the casing through said opening, means for retracting and storing used toweling within the casing, means operatively connecting said feeding and retracting means for effecting their operation in sequence, and means independent of the retracting means for withdrawing said length into the casing upon the release of the same by the user.

8. In a towel cabinet, the combination with a casing having an opening therein,

of means for feeding a length of towel from i the cabinet through said opening, a towel pulling means within the cabinet, means operatively connecting said feeding and pulling means for effecting their operation in sequence, and means engaging the towel intermediate the feeding and pulling means rendered operable by the actuation of the pulling means to withdraw the fed out length into the cabinet.

9. In a towel cabinet, the combination with a casing having an opening therein, of means for feeding a length of towel from the cabinet through said opening, a towel rewinding means within the-cabinet, means operatively connecting the feeding and rewinding means for efiecting their operation in sequence, and means engaging the towel intermediate the feeding and rewinding means rendered operable by the actuation of the rewinding means to withdraw the fed out length into the cabinet.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM W. TRINKS. 

